144: First battle in the dungeon

The communicator was still ringing, but Shen Xiaochuan had already rushed out.

The wind whipped against his face, carrying the smell of burning.

He didn't look back, only shouting: "Everyone, speed up, maintain formation! Vanguard Battalion, shields in front, everyone else, keep close!"

Three thousand people ran together, the sound of their footsteps like thunder.

The news the scout brought back earlier was still turning in his mind—the village was about to be breached, the black-armored monsters were killing everyone they saw, and even the temple had collapsed.

When they first set off, people were still panting, but after walking through a stretch of scorched earth, no one spoke anymore.

The ground was covered in wreckage.

Broken spears were stuck in the mud, blades pointing down, as if they had been violently smashed into the ground.

A shattered shield was buried in the ashes, a handprint on it, the blood already turned black.

Further ahead, a corpse lay prone, its back split open, bones exposed, with a strip of cloth sewn onto its clothing that read "Liuhe Village Ding San".

Shen Xiaochuan stopped and bent down to pick up the wooden plaque.

The plaque was half-burned, but three characters were still legible: Liu, He, Village.

He looked at it for two seconds, then turned to the people behind him and said: "Remember this place."

We are not here to look at the dead, but to prevent ten thousand people from ending up like this."

After saying this, the formation changed.

They were no longer walking but charging forward with force.

Some gripped their sabers, others checked the short spears on their shoulders.

After walking another five hundred meters, there was a smell of blood in the air.

The wind blew, carrying a scent like rust.

The terrain ahead was low; firelight was visible, and smoke was rising.

"The village is right ahead," the Personal Guard said in a low voice, "The east wall is about to collapse."

Shen Xiaochuan squinted as he looked.

Sure enough, a large section of the earthen wall was broken, and black shadows were continuously pouring in through the gap.

Those things wore black armor, walked unsteadily but quickly, held spiked clubs, and would drag people out after smashing into houses.

In the sky, there were three flying things with bat-like wings, glowing with red light, diving down from time to time to throw fireballs.

The ancestral hall roof was on fire, and several villagers were shouting below, moving arrow crates to the high platform.

"Where is Yang Lie?" Shen Xiaochuan asked.

"That's the commander," the Personal Guard's voice trembled slightly, "He has been holding that spot alone for nearly an hour."

Shen Xiaochuan's eyes turned cold. He suddenly drew his saber, held it high, and shouted: "Sky Guard, form a triangle formation! Iron Spine Battalion, hold the gap! Wave Breaker Army, attack the ones in the sky! Now, attack immediately!"

Upon the order, the five hundred Sky Guards immediately changed formation.

They arranged themselves into a triangle, with five people holding shields in front, and the remaining four hundred and ninety-five pointing their spears forward, like a blade thrusting directly into the middle of the enemy.

Boom!

The first wave slammed into the gap in the east wall.

The black-armored monsters were squeezing inside when they were suddenly knocked aside.

Shields pushed forward, spears thrust out in unison, piercing the chests of three monsters on the spot.

Before they could react, they were trampled into the mud.

The Iron Spine Battalion followed closely, quickly plugging the gap.

Their gray-black armor unfolded, forming a wall of people.

Folding blades were drawn, killing in close quarters.

A monster had just jumped onto the wall when it was caught by two men and decapitated with a single blade strike.

The Wave Breaker Army operated in groups of three, standing in dispersed positions.

Their short spears were thrown accurately, coordinated with night vision training to lock onto targets.

In the first round of throwing, a flying monster's wing was pierced, and it fell screaming into the fire.

In the second round, another was hit in the stomach, falling onto a roof and exploding into a cloud of black mist.

By the end of the third round, the last one also fell, smashing half a thatched cottage.

The entire process took less than eight minutes.

The black-armored monsters began to flee.

The remaining dozens turned and ran, scrambling to escape toward the forest in the northeast.

Some even trampled their companions to rush out.

The battle was over.

The village was very quiet.

There was only the sound of fire burning and the faint moans of the wounded.

Shen Xiaochuan sheathed his blade and walked quickly toward the broken bridge.

The man named Yang Lie could no longer hold on; he knelt on one knee, breathing heavily, his face covered in blood and ash.

"Your name is Yang Lie?" Shen Xiaochuan crouched down and reached out to support his shoulder.

Yang Lie looked up, his eyes still wary, "Who are you? Which troops are you from?"

"Shen Xiaochuan. Messenger of the Human Race gods," he said in a calm voice, "I am ordered to investigate the matter of the evil god. Passing by here and seeing the people suffering, I could not just stand by."

Yang Lie stared at him for a few seconds, then suddenly smiled bitterly, his voice hoarse, "Gods... I thought no one would come again."

"You held out for a long time," Shen Xiaochuan looked at the corpses around them, "Defending the broken bridge alone is not easy."

"I wasn't alone," Yang Lie shook his head, "The village chief is dead, the priest was nailed to the wall, and only three Archers are left who can draw a bow. I was just the last one standing."

After speaking, he tried to stand up, but his legs went weak and he knelt down again.

Shen Xiaochuan nodded to signal.

Two Personal Guards immediately stepped forward to support Yang Lie and helped him sit down in front of the ancestral hall.

Only then did the villagers dare to approach.

A dozen or so people gathered around, young and old, their faces full of fear.

An old woman holding a child asked with a trembling voice, "Are you... really here to save us?"

"Yes." Shen Xiaochuan took off his helmet, revealing his face, "I am Shen Xiaochuan, the leader of this unit. From today on, Liuhe Village will be under our protection."

"Protection?" A young man nearby sneered, "How many days can you stay? Once you leave, they will come back!"

Shen Xiaochuan showed no Life Qi, only asking: "Did you have any reinforcements before?"

The man was stunned.

"No," Yang Lie answered, "Three months ago, Pingyang City sent a team, but they all died on the way. Later, we prayed to the temple, but the statue didn't respond. Later still, the incense offerings ceased."

Shen Xiaochuan nodded, "I know. But now it's different. We have brought medicine, water, and food, and we won't leave immediately."

His expression was serious as he waved his hand, "Quick!" The Personal Guards opened their packs, took out water purification tablets and hemostatic powder, and distributed them to the wounded.

Seeing wounds that were festering, they quickly used cotton balls to disinfect them; discovering those dehydrated, they immediately fed them water tablets and sprinkled some salt.

The expressions of the villagers slowly changed.

"You... are really not just passing through?" the old woman asked.

"No," Shen Xiaochuan said, "We are here to find Aminos. You've heard that it is about to wake up, right?"

Yang Lie looked up suddenly, "You know this name too?"

Shen Xiaochuan looked at him, his tone firm, "So our goals are the same. You hold the village, and we investigate the truth. As long as I am here, I won't let this happen again."

Yang Lie was silent for a moment, then suddenly stood up and knelt on one knee, "Everyone in Liuhe Village thanks the General for saving our lives."

"Don't call me General," Shen Xiaochuan reached out to help him up, "Just call me Shen Xiaochuan."

Yang Lie gripped his hand, his strength great, "Then you don't call me Commander either. I'm just an ordinary person who happens to know a bit of swordsmanship."

"Alright," Shen Xiaochuan nodded, "We are brothers from now on."

He turned and gave orders, "Clear the battlefield, bury the bodies, burn the filth. Concentrate the wounded for treatment, and those uninjured help repair the wall. We must restore the perimeter guard tonight."

The order was passed down, and three thousand people immediately took action.

Some moved wood to repair the wall, some dug holes to bury bodies, and others went onto the roofs to extinguish fires. The village had order again.

Shen Xiaochuan stood in front of the ancestral hall, looking toward the forest in the northeast.

The trees there were deep; as the wind blew, the shadows swayed, as if hiding something.

"You said they came out of the ground?" he asked Yang Lie.

"Yes," Yang Lie nodded, "The night before last, the ground split open, black smoke emerged, and then they came out. The leader wore black robes and spoke as if two people were talking at the same time."

"The old rules should end?" Shen Xiaochuan repeated the sentence.

"How do you know?" Yang Lie was surprised.

"Someone else said it," Shen Xiaochuan glanced at him, "This shows they aren't killing randomly; they have a purpose. They are waiting for someone to wake up."

Yang Lie frowned, "But we don't even have a temple here anymore, who would come to manage this?"

"Perhaps we shouldn't have believed in gods in the first place," Shen Xiaochuan said in a low voice, "Perhaps true power was never in the sky."

After saying this, he looked up at the sky.

The clouds were still, colored gray-yellow, as if frozen.

"What do we do next?" Yang Lie asked.

"First, stabilize the village," Shen Xiaochuan said, "Then look for clues. Have you seen any strange things? Like stone tablets, altars, or underground passages?"

Yang Lie thought for a moment, "There is an ancient well in the west of the village, with characters carved on the well wall that no one recognizes. The day before yesterday, the well water turned black, so we sealed it."

"Take me to see it."

"Now?"

"The sooner the better."

Yang Lie nodded and tried to stand up.

Shen Xiaochuan pressed his shoulder, "You treat your wounds first. Just send someone to lead the way."

"I'll go myself," Yang Lie insisted, "I've guarded this well for three years."

The two walked toward the west of the village together.

On the way, they passed an abandoned house where several children were huddled in a corner, shivering.

Shen Xiaochuan stopped and took a piece of compressed biscuit from a Personal Guard's pack to hand to them.

The child hesitated for a moment, then took it and said "Thank you."

Shen Xiaochuan smiled and continued walking.

The ancient well was beside a vegetable patch at the edge of the village, the well mouth covered by a stone slab, with three large rocks pressing down on it.

Yang Lie pointed and said, "This is it. That night, crying sounds came from the well, and then the water turned black."

Shen Xiaochuan lifted a corner of the stone slab and peered inside.

The well was very deep, pitch black at the bottom, and a foul smell could be detected.

He took out a flashlight and shone it down.

The light hit the well wall, and sure enough, there was a circle of carvings.

The symbols were crooked, as if carved with fingernails, the content chaotic.

But one passage appeared repeatedly: [He Will Return] [King of the Old Days] [Blood Repays the New Law]

Shen Xiaochuan stared at it for a long time.

"These are not ordinary characters," he said, "This was left by some kind of ritual."

"You mean... someone deliberately awakened it?" Yang Lie lowered his voice.

"Or, it has been waiting all along," Shen Xiaochuan closed the stone slab, "Mark this well as a restricted area and assign people to watch it twenty-four hours a day. If anyone approaches, report it immediately."

"Understood."

They returned to the front of the ancestral hall; the sun was about to set.

The east wall was half-repaired, and the fires were extinguished.

The wounded were lying in shelters, and some people were decocting medicine.

Shen Xiaochuan stood on the high platform and looked around.

Three thousand people were resting, equipment orderly, discipline good.

The villagers also began to help by delivering water and handing over tools.

Yang Lie sat on the steps, having finished bandaging his wounds, and looked up at him.

"You are not like other divine messengers," he said.

"Oh?"

"When other divine messengers come, they either put on airs or just put on a show. You are different. You do things efficiently and speak honestly."

Shen Xiaochuan smiled, "Because I am not here to be a god. I am here to solve problems."

He walked down the steps and sat down beside Yang Lie.

He remembered his childhood and said slowly, "I grew up in a factory. Every day I listened to the machines humming and watched steel melt. Back then, I felt that the truly powerful ones weren't the immortals, but the people who could build these things."

Yang Lie nodded, listening quietly.

The evening breeze blew, carrying the smell of ashes.

A fire was lit in front of the ancestral hall.

Several villagers were cooking porridge, the fragrance of rice mixed with the smell of medicine drifting in the air.

Shen Xiaochuan sat on the steps, took a breath, and said with a smile, "You know, this porridge is actually quite fragrant."

Yang Lie glanced at him and joked, "Once the war is over, go back to your hometown, and have your mom cook you a big pot of it, enough to fill you up!"

Shen Xiaochuan stood up and patted the dust off his pants.

"Get a good night's sleep tonight," he said, "Starting tomorrow, we are going to uncover the truth of this world."